Synopsis

No ties.
No expectations.
No risks.

Antonio Giovanni, a fifth-generation winemaker in the rolling hills of Tuscany, is the epitome of temptation. Tall, dark, and handsome with an accent sexy enough to leave a trail of women’s panties in his wake. The man wears charisma like a fine silk suit…flawless and molded to perfection in all the right places, leaving just enough mystery to make you wonder what lies beneath the faultless exterior.

Hope Tidwell, a world-renowned sommelier, is a strong independent woman who fights to have control over every aspect of her life. She makes her own money, her own decisions, her own happiness, and her own mistakes. Her existence doesn’t need to be validated by a man; she refuses to ask for anything except an orgasm, and even those she can manage on her own.

Relationships for most people are as natural as breathing. However, Hope and Antonio are two players who master the art of seduction and the fear of emotional intimacy. When tragedy strikes close to her heart, Hope is fated to do the one thing that terrifies her most.

Destiny reveals the biggest gifts often require the greatest sacrifices.

Giveaway

Signed Paperback of The Italian and a $10 Amazon Gift Card

Review

Hope Tidwell is all about control. She controls every aspect of her life, especially her dalliances. She’s not a long-term relationship kind of girl because she can’t allow someone else to dictate how to feel, what to want, or what to expect. Since getting herself and her sister, Faith, away from their hellish upbringing and their selfish mother, Hope has done her best to protect her sister from the cruelties of the world and she’s also worked her ass off to not have to rely on someone else, especially a man, for any part of her life. Hope has set clear boundaries in her life, and she refuses to allow anyone to get past her defenses, especially Antonio Giovanni, the tall, dark, and handsome Italian man who she finds herself going back to and giving him her body each time they’re in the same place.

It’s understandable why Hope is the guarded person that she is and the fact that she refuses to go outside her comfort zone allows her to experience life on her terms without anyone letting her down or asking something of her that she can’t give them. But the one person who holds her heart is her sister Faith, and Hope would do absolutely anything for her, which is why Hope finds herself in the situation that she does in the story and the choices she makes leave her in unchartered territory consumed with fear and uncertainty but also experiencing something that she never would have if she hadn’t willingly taken a leap of faith and put her heart in the hands of people who seem to know exactly what Hope needs and who promise to be there every step of the way despite Hope’s trepidations of the future.

Antonio Giovanni appears to be nothing more than a playboy, breaking hearts everywhere he goes, always making himself available for his tri-annual romps with Hope. But Antonio is more than the man his brother and readers perceive him to be, and Beverly Preston does an amazing job of showcasing the man he is truly is when Hope takes a job in his family’s business, and as Antonio transforms Hope’s heart, he also becomes a man who willingly puts himself in a position to get hurt…to fall in love and have his heart broken because the boundaries that were once established no longer matter, which is exactly why every aspect of who Antonio and Hope are to each other scares the hell out of both of them.

Every story that Beverly Preston writes is an emotional journey where deep loss as well as life-changing love abounds. There’s not one of Preston’s stories that I haven’t cried while reading because she has a way of illustrating life’s imperfect moments and making them the deciding factors in the lives of her characters and their futures.

Hope’s journey to recover from her past and heal from her present is not an easy one; in fact, it tears her apart and forces her to lose the one thing that she’s always had to have – control. But what she experiences with Antonio and his family and friends is something that changes every aspect of Hope’s life, and even though it sends her spiraling and makes her question who she is and what she truly wants, the end result may not be what Hope ever intended, but it’s actually the outcome that frees her from the pain and fear that has surrounded her heart for far too long.

4.5 Poison Apples

About the Author

Beverly Preston is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotionally rich and sinfully sexy stories about the ultimate alpha good guy; the kind of man you want to drag you to bed and put a ring on your finger. She also has a passion for strong, humorous, female characters and stories ingrained in a solid sense of family and loyalty.

She lives in Las Vegas with her husband, four kids, and two golden retrievers. If she’s not spinning richly emotional stories, you’ll find her on her spin bike.

Laugh, cry, and fall in love with The Mathews Family one Happily Ever After at a time.